Giving Thanks

Today is Thanksgiving. A unique and wonderful holiday that focuses soley on giving thanks and not on giving gifts. So, today I give thanks to God above for giving me a most amazing diverse and beautiful group of friends and family. I love you all!

Go hug someone,

Sammy

Heceta Lighthouse

Last weekend, we went to the coast and had the most amazing weather.......blue sky, warm, no wind.....in November.....couldn't believe it.

One of the places we stopped was Heceta Lighthouse near Yachats. There is a short walk to the lighthouse and that's very cool and all, but the coolest discovery was the Heceta Lighthouse Bed & Breakfast. This house was the keepers house and its a beauty.....as you can see. It sits up on a hill that overlooks the ocean. You can sit on the porch with a steaming cup of coffee watching the sea. It doesn't get much better than that. There are six bedrooms and in the mornings they serve a 7 course breakfast. Check out the details at http://www.hecetalighthouse.com/.

We did not stay there, but we plan to some day.

See you, Sammy

Fair Trade - Supporting Women

A cousin of mine referred me to this website/online store called Bambootique. The story the beginnings of this company is this.

"Bambootique was born in 2006 when my girlfriend Tammy and I (Beth) decided to make a real and lasting difference through, yes, shopping. We were co-workers at an international health organization and our work led us to the same conclusion - economic empowerment of women is key to ending poverty. We knew that when women have access to a living income, they reinvest in their children's education, healthcare and future. We knew we could do something about it. So we did." Click here for more.

Wow....I was in awe of the step Beth and her friend took to put their belief system into action. Beth also has a blog about sustainable living while still living in suburbia.....yes.....we can ALL do it.

Here is one of her more recent posts that says it all.......The Faces of Fair Trade at Bambootique.

Thanks Beth!

Sammy

Holidays Around the Corner

I will admit that I love the holidays (usually......most often........more times than not). So, here's a new blog I just found called Holidash.com. It has numerous holiday tidbits and should be a fun read during this crazy time. Enjoy!

Sammy

Obama!

I will take only this one post to espouse my political views. Last night as I watched the returns coming in and finally the call by CNN that Barack Obama was our President Elect.........I was stunned and didn't know if I could really believe what I saw. It took a few moments for it to sink in before I really could believe it happened.......and then I celebrated! I celebrated that we will finally have a leader that will inspire us......to encourage us to look beyond ourselves. I celebrated that people all over the country did not let race be a factor in their voting (bradley effect.....good riddance). I know this election wasn't supposed to be about race (and that's not why I voted for Obama).......but how can we not celebrate the election of an African American to the greatest position in the world. To me, it was a truly American moment.......reminding me how much I love this country!

Sammy

Speaking of Faith

Okay, I have to confess that I am a podcast junkie. I have all my favorite NPR shows that I download every week and listen to while I am cooking, gardening, running, etc. I wouldn't miss any of them each week......I LOVE them.

One of my favorites is called Speaking of Faith with Krista Tippett. It's a show about "religion, meaning, ethics and ideas". It's on OPB (91.5) on Sunday's at 7:00pm.

I just listened to the show from Sunday, October 25th. Krista interviewed Vashti McKenzie, the first woman bishop of the oldest historic black church in America. Mrs. McKenzie spoke about her particular experiences being a woman and black in America. She is incredibly articulate, knowledable and inspiring.

I thoroughly enjoyed the interview and came away with a few nuggets to ponder. Particularly she talked about being with her Dad in the South during the civil rights movement. She and her Dad were watching the freedom marchers and witnessed them being hosed down and yelled at. He turned to her and said......"never let anybody ask you what you did for your people and for your country." She decided she never wanted her children to ask her "what did you do", she wanted them to be able to see it.

I spent the rest of the day rolling those words through my mind. How can I make that true in my life? Who are the disenfranchised or marginalized in my world that I should be speaking out for or giving a hand? Right now, I will try to make a difference (large or small) every day.

Listen to Mrs. McKenzie's words and be inspired with me!

Sammy